Debaters for world championships

Members of the Otago University Debating Society fundraising to contest the World University Debating Championships in the Philippines in December, are, from left, William Cheyne, Clare Burn, Kate Stewart, Hannah Drury, Toby Yuretich, Alec Dawson, Paul Hunt, and Kurt Purdon. Photo by Peter McIntosh.

Eight members of the university debating society will represent Otago at the world championships, the culminating event in a year of unprecedented achievement for the club, society president Paul Hunt said.

Teams from the Otago debating society entered the top ranks at the finals of the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships, held in Korea earlier this year, and had also made the final of the New Zealand University Debating Championships this year.

It had been several years since Otago teams had been placed at the two big debating competitions, let alone in the same year, he said.

At the New Zealand competition, Otago had four speakers ranked in the top 10, while top debater Will Cheyne was named national team captain.

Society members, and the Otago University Students Association, hosted a mass debate on the pros and cons of MMP at the Burns Lecture Theatre on Wednesday night, the first of several planned events to raise funds for their overseas trip.

Three Otago teams will contest the world championships and two adjudicators will also travel in the debating delegation.

Mr Hunt and Mr Cheyne lead the Otago A team, Alec Dawson and Kurt Purdon are in a B team, with Clare Burn and Hannah Drury in a third team. Kate Stewart and Toby Yuretich are the travelling adjudicators.